White House petitioned on gun control

12/16/12 11:59 AM EST

In the hours after a 20-year-old wielding a semi-automatic assault rifle gunned down 20 children in Connecticut, a petition on the White House web site calling for stricter gun laws drew more than 100,000 signatures.

The petition was one of nearly a dozen created after the shootings Friday in Newtown, Conn.

"The goal of this petition is to force the Obama Administration to produce legislation that limits access to guns. While a national dialogue is critical, laws are the only means in which we can reduce the number of people murdered in gun related deaths," the creator, identified only as "David G.," wrote.

"The signatures on this petition represent a collective demand for a bipartisan discussion resulting in a set of laws that regulates how a citizen obtains a gun."

By Sunday, 117,979 people had signed on, more than quadruple the threshold required for White House response. The administration responds to those that get 25,000 signatures within 30 days.

The petition adds to the already-mounting pressure on President Obama to take action. He said on Friday that it was time to "take meaningful action" to stop similar incidents, but he did not specify what action.

The other petitions introduced after the massacre generally asked for the same response: "Today IS the day: Sponsor strict gun control laws in the wake of the CT school massacre," "Start the process to enact Federal Gun control reforms," "begin a national conversation on sensible gun control."

But three others asked the White House to take a different tack: "A gun in every classroom. Arm every teacher and principal to defend themselves and their students during an attack," "Ensure the 2nd Amendment cant be infringed in anyway limiting citizens ability to defend against tyrannical governments," and "Have armed security at all schools across the nation who are ex military from combat MOSs or combat proven." Those petitions have so far drawn fewer than 4,000 signatures each.